Mr. Speaker, in yesterday's Journal de Montréal , in an article over the byline of Martin Leclerc, we read:
Interesting news—six Bloc members have deviated from the party line.
Last spring, no fewer than six Bloc MPs did not respect “the great heritage of René Lévesque” and deviated from their party line by accepting campaign contributions from companies.
In the 1997 elections, the hon. member for Drummond accepted several thousand dollars from a number of companies, including Cascades, which contributed $5,000 to her campaign fund.
Corporate donations are not illegal federally, but the Bloc has always maintained that it would prefer to adhere to the Quebec legislation on private donations.
The Bloc has, moreover, taken care not to reveal that five more of its Quebec MPs violated the spirit of the Quebec legislation by receiving several thousand dollars from businesses in 1997.